Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announces comprehensive reforms including land pooling and direct purchase to streamline industrial project approvals and boost employment in the state.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said his government will soon bring in a broader investment and land policy aimed at making it easier for industries to set up in the state while avoiding forcible land acquisition from farmers.
Speaking at the foundation stone-laying of Amit Metaliks’ Rs 4,000 crore greenfield integrated steel plant in Purulia, Adhikari said the state was studying models used in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as it prepares a new framework for land use and industrial growth. The announcement follows earlier indications from the state government that it wants a new industrial policy with smoother land acquisition, single-window clearances and faster investor approvals.
According to Adhikari, the planned changes would include both a direct land purchase mechanism and a land pooling system. Under land pooling, landowners would keep an interest in the development and could benefit from rising land values, rather than receiving only one-off compensation as in conventional acquisition. He said the government had also reviewed the Urban Land Ceiling law as part of its effort to remove obstacles to large projects.
The chief minister said the incentive structure would also be changed so that job creation matters as much as the amount of capital invested. He added that projects involving more than Rs 100 crore would not have to move separately through municipal bodies, panchayats and zilla parishads, with the state taking responsibility for the necessary clearances. Adhikari said the aim was to build a more business-friendly climate, revive industrial growth and create jobs for local young people.
He also used the occasion to criticise the industrial record of previous governments, accusing them of damaging investor confidence through land conflicts and policy drift. Referring to the steel project, he urged Amit Metaliks to finish the plant within 800 days rather than the 1,000-day schedule and to give priority to local recruitment.
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